Tesco set to scrap 5p shopping bags for 10p Bags for Life

From next month supermarket giant Tesco will phase out the 5p carrier bag charge and only offer customers Bags for Life, which are double the price at 10p.

The change, which is due to hit shops on 28th August, is said to not just be about money but will form part of a drive to reduce plastic waste.

Removing the 5p carrier bags will ‘significantly reduce the number of bags sold and will therefore help reduce litter and bags sent to landfill,’ Tesco have said.

The move has proved divisive, with many taking to Twitter to express their delight at the news – some customers have even congratulated the supermarket for helping the environment – but others see it as a cynical ploy to get more money from shoppers.

Charlotte Gough wrote: ‘Seems like Tesco just wanna make a little extra 5p out of our pockets.’

However another user called Kayla said: ‘Tesco have really impressed me lately. Paying the tampon tax themselves and scrapping single use carriers’.

Back in 2015, when the 5p bag charge was introduced in England, The Metro reported that shoppers were so annoyed that they started stealing bags, and security tags had to be added.

The new 10p bags are made from 94 percent recycled plastic, and will be replaced free of charge if they become damaged.

While the 5p bags will be stopped in stores, Tesco online customers will still be able to opt for single-use carrier bags, or select a bagless delivery, which 57 percent of Tesco’s online customers are now doing.

It’s good news for wine lovers, as the chain will also be removing single-use wine carriers, lowering the price of its ‘Carry Me Bottle Bag’ from £1 to 40p.

While paying 5p for the flimsy barely-there plastic bags can push up your weekly bill, Tesco have reported that it has given out 1.5 billion fewer single-use bags since 2015, but still sells over 700 million of the 5p bags every year.

Tesco have trialled selling only Bags for Life in four stores in the UK and found that sales of plastic bags dropped by 25%.

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The Daily Mail reported that money raised from sales of Tesco’s 10p bags for life will fund community projects across the UK, with the figure estimated to be around £24million a year.

What do you think? Is it a great move for our environment or just ploy to get more money from us? Let us know in the comments below